Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
From Ancient Remedy to Beloved Dessert – A Spice Route Treasure – Rhubarb’s roots stretch back thousands of years to the mountainous regions of northern and central Asia (China, Mongolia, and Siberia), where it was cultivated primarily for medicinal purposes. The Chinese prized it as a digestive tonic and laxative,
Caramelized Onion Tart with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
With all the food experimenting I do, baking with puff pastry has always been a challenge for me. I pore over cookbooks and sites looking for clues as to how to achieve the ultimate crisp and light pastry with flaky golden layers. I do all the things I am supposed to do – preheat the…
Turkey Cutlet Sandwich
The first recorded sandwich was by Rabbi Hillel the Elder in the 1st century BC. He started the Passover custom of sandwiching a mixture of chopped nuts, apples, spices and wine between two matzohs to eat with bitter herbs. The filling between the matzohs served as a reminder of the suffering of the Jews before…
Lime and Sea Salt Kale Chips
I’ve been eyeing kale chips for the last two years and yesterday I finally decided to make my own. The first time I tried a kale chip was at Whole Foods. On the weekends they have food stations placed throughout the store and on one occasion they were touting baked kale chips. Being the inquisitive…
Fig Crostini
I’ll admit that up until a few years ago I would never have given fresh figs a second thought. I’ve used dried figs in recipes but never had the courage to try a fresh one. How would I prepare them? Would they need special handling? How would they taste? Dried figs are available year-round and…
Shrimp and Cheesy Grits
What are grits? There doesn’t seem to be a standardization or labeling rules as to what grits are and are they the same as polenta or cornmeal? If you look at Bob’s Red Mill bag of corn grits you’ll notice it says also known as polenta. Grits are typically coarse-ground cornmeal. Polenta and grits fall…
Quinoa Salad with Radish, Dill & Avocado
I love a colorful salad…I always have. I discovered a few years ago that one of the secrets to staying healthy is to always incorporate color onto your plate of food. Doing so means you are getting a good variety of nutrients to help your body be strong and healthy. Eating more plant-based meals has…
Steamed Pork Ribs with Shaohsing Wine and Ginger
Living in Asia opened our minds and eyes to a different world. For me, I was this young woman from a very small community 30 minutes outside Saint John, New Brunswick whose international travel consisted of Florida and as much as there were slight differences between the two countries, nothing could have prepared me for…
Seafood Soup
Just when you think the frigid weather is behind us, mother nature shakes her head and delivers a polar vortex. Usually the polar vortex stays in the Arctic but this year it’s paying Canada and the United States a visit…a very cold one! Here in the Maritimes, we’re not going to be as hard hit…
Fennel and Blood Orange Salad
There’s something alluring and mysterious when you spot a sign in your grocery store for blood oranges. Will it bleed when cut? Will it taste vastly different from an ordinary orange? Yes, the juices are more defined because of the visual red pigment, and yes, it’ll taste slightly bitter but not as acid. But look…
Banana Chocolate Chip Raspberry Muffins
Who hasn’t made banana bread or cake? It’s the easiest way to utilize ripe bananas that are not only gross to look at, but emit a smell that says overripe and to be honest don’t taste good either. I used to make banana bread but after living in Asia for 11 years, the humidity does…
Chimichurri Sauce
What an amazing and versatile condiment! Chimichurri sauce hails from Argentina – a country on our travel wish list of must places to visit. Use the sauce as a marinade for beef, chicken, fish, seafood, or perfect drizzled on vegetables. If you have time, leave the sauce overnight at room temperature as this will intensify…
Hasselback Potatoes
Years ago I would take potatoes, slice them (not all the way through), place thinly sliced onion rings and butter in between the slices. I would season with salt and pepper, wrap in tin foil and bake in the oven. I never knew slicing the potato in this way was referred to as Hasselback. Hasselback…